A/N: The update is here! Thanks to those of you reading the story already and leaving nice reviews - they give me a lot of inspo to update faster, and I appreciate y'all taking the time to write one! I hope you guys like this AU as much as the last.
"Ginger?" GoGo asked, frowning.
"Oh, relax, it's just a three-day trip. You've held up the bakery on your own for longer," her aunt reassured, shoving the last of GoGo's herbal books in her satchel.
GoGo bit her lip. Yes, but this time Krei was in town, and she had little reason to escape to her room if Aunt Cass wasn't handling the shop.
"And besides, wouldn't gingerbread just be an outstanding item to add to the list? I've always wanted to try a recipe! Spice things up a little, you know!"
The ward sighed. Of course she would take such lengths on just a whim. She'd never call her aunt crazy as the other villagers often did, but she had to admit her aunt could be a bit... unconventional. Mostly she worried about finding ways to evade Krei. On the other hand, it was embarrassing to keep hiding behind her auntie's skirt like a child. She merely nodded, resolving to handle him with force if necessary.
...
Cass looked at the road ahead, then at her map, then back to the road. She squinted as if that would confirm whether this was correct or not. The sky had turned from a warm orange to a cold, dark blue a while ago, and despite her lantern, the forest path was difficult to discern. It twisted and winded, and it didn't help that the autumn leaves scattered across it and she couldn't tell what was path and what was dirt.
Regardless, the horse carried her along. The wind was starting to howl and she felt her teeth chattering. She was sure they were completely off the path now, because the woods had thickened. After more wanderings, however, the spaces between the trees widened. An opening! She hurried through, a grin lighting up on her face. Perhaps there was a town nearby she could seek shelter in.
But as the horse galloped through the opening, she found herself standing in front of now a town, but tall rusted gates entrenched in vines. Beyond that, stone walls, weeds sprouting ubiquitously. She leapt off her horse and let her eyes trail the walls all building up to... a grand castle! Untended, but a castle regardless. She ran up to the gates and shook them rapidly until at last they cracked open with a long and eerie creeeaaaak.
Clutching her cloak, she dared to push open the doors and venture into the castle. At once she started coughing. Everything felt musty, and clouds of dust popped at her feet. All the way on the other side of the room sat two thrones, but the cushions had torn and the legs were so thick with dust it was difficult to make out what color they once were. She gazed at the ceiling at least ten feet in the air, where a chandelier coated in even more dust dangled.
"Hello?" she called. Her voice echoed. "Is anyone in here?"
Instantly she head something scampering across the carpet and gasped.
"Hello?" she repeated with just a bit more panic in her voice. When no response came, she assured herself it was probably just a rat. Relaxing her grip on her cloak, she took a few steps closer to the thrones before feeling a sudden bang followed by a blunt pain in the back of her head.
...
Her head was still throbbing when her eyes fluttered open and she felt her body resting against something cold, hard, and damp. She lifted her head and gasped, finding rusted bars in front of her. Beyond that lay only darkness. She grabbed at the bars and shook violently, desperately.
"Help!" she screamed. But she froze when she heard the whispers coming from the shadows. Her heart pounded wildly. Who were they? Ghosts? What would they do to her? And... GoGo! What would happen to poor GoGo if she died right here?
"W-who are you?" a deep voice rumbled.
"Please let me out!" she cried.
"Answer my query! Who are you, intruder?"
"Intruder? Oh, n-no! I beg your pardon, I-I was absolutely not trying to intrude! I'm just a baker! I was lost and... and... I only wanted to go for ginger, sir..."
"Lies!"
"No, I swear it's the truth! Please, you have to let me out, or my niece, she'll - "
"I'll take no more of your - " The voice stopped talking and for a moment Cass wondered if they were just going to kill her regardless. She heard more whispers. "Did you say niece?" the voice boomed again.
"Y-yes, sir..."
"Er... and how old is this niece of yours?"
"Eighteen, sir..."
"Hrmph..." More whispering. Just how many people were there? What was this place? "Um... Is she good-looking, this niece of yours?"
Cass thought this was an odd question, but the voice no longer sounded ominous. The speaker seemed to have toned down quite a bit. Still, she responded cautiously. "I suppose so..."
"Does she have... any kind of hobbies?"
Why did they care about her niece so much? "Well... She likes to read. She's also an engineer of some sorts? There are blueprints all over the house. But why - ?"
"All right!" More whispers. A congregation, perhaps. "You will remain in this dungeon for the time being. Stay put and no harm will come to you - ow! Fred, for the last time, that is not funny..."
As she heard footsteps scattering off, Cass supposed fear should have struck in her heart, but the threat seemed so half-hearted she couldn't really expect more than a splash of water to the face. Instead she brought her knees to her chin and stared up at the ceiling, cracked and crumbling.
"Oh, GoGo," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
...
A little girl in braids squealed about how the cookie was shaped just like a puppy and smelled like raspberries. "Look!" she gasped, waving it in front of her mother who thanked GoGo. The baker merely gave a two fingered salute before mother and daughter walked out of the store, jingling the bells once again. On the windowsill, the cat Mochi waved his tail impatiently. With a chuckle, GoGo tossed him one of the cracked cookies, which it snatched with glee.
She wiped the sweat off her brow and closed the oven, reaching for a rag. At that moment she heard the bells jingling wildly and footsteps storming in. Her heart nearly stopped. Haltingly she turned to the front, confirming her worst fears. Krei.
"Ah, baking. Perfect use of your talents, wouldn't you say?" he asked with a smug grin.
GoGo glared fiercely at him and reached for the knobs on the stove. She held her gaze at him as she turned it up so high fire blasted out from behind her (she thanked the lucky stars she kept her hair short) before dying down to mild flames.
"Yikes. Feisty as always."
Still she did not tear her eyes away and regarded him like a challenge. She began tapping her foot as if it were a countdown.
"Oh, GoGo. For a mind as brilliant as yours, you have absolutely no foresight. Think of the potential - "
She grabbed the broom and pretended to sweep. Surely it would make him pop a vessel to see a potential cash cow choose custodial duties instead. The corners of her lips curled upwards in pleasure as she watched him his fists clench and the skin around his throat tighten.
"Don't get haughty with me, girl. You are in know place to act with such pride! I know who you are. Do you truly believe I wouldn't hear the village gossip?"
Her grip on the broom tightened and she started to tremble.
"What good was it to fetch you out of the fire and stick you with such a completely incompetent woman? I suppose your parents couldn't have been too wise to get themselves in such a disarray - "
"OUT!" she screeched, raising the broom and climbing over the counter. His eyes flew open and he hastily started to back away in shock. "GET OUT!"
"N-now, young lady, let's be reasonable - " In an attempt to find the doorknob behind him, his palm slapped Mochi's tail. Now the cat yowled and rapidly sprung on the man's face, clawing and hacking while he yelped in pain. As he stumbled back, GoGo yanked the door open and stretched out her arms for the cat to hop into before slamming it back shut. From the window she watched as the pathetic man scurried away, not daring to look back.
She held Mochi a few inches away from her and stared as the cat nonchalantly licked its own paws. After a sigh of relief, she blew a raspberry. "Can you believe that?" she asked through gritted teeth. "That is one persistent son of a - "
A sudden neighing cut her off. Aunt Cass! Back so soon? She nearly dropped the cat as she sprinted out the backdoor and into the field, spotting the horse. Thrilled, she ran further until she saw the empty seat. She cocked her head to the side in confusion. Was Aunt Cass playing another one of her games? Well, she wouldn't fall for that again. Light on her feet and hidden in the tall grass, she crawled around the animal and waited until the last moment to jump out. Still her aunt didn't appear.
It was then that she noticed something stuck in the reigns - a tiny scroll. Curiously, she plucked it out and unrolled the worn paper.
If you wish to see your beloved aunt alive, you will come to us alone.
The horse knows the way.
...
Krei storming into the bakery! Aunt Cass getting kidnapped! GoGo, it seemed, just had the dandiest life. Closing up shop would undoubtedly cost them business and frustrate Aunt Cass, but what a trivial problem compared to her aunt's life! Luckily their neighbors liked them (or their baked goods, at least) enough to tend to the farm while they were away in exchange for free food for the next week.
The horse indeed seemed to know the route and understood the gravity of the matter, as he galloped more hastily than GoGo had ever seen him. When night fell and the wind started to nip at her cheeks, her steed carried on through the thick forest, finally slowing to a stop before a great castle.
She didn't have time to admire it. "Is this where Aunt Cass is?" she asked to no one in particular. When no answer came, she kicked the gates until they burst open and fled into the castle, cloak trailing behind her.
"Aunt Cass?" she hollered. Her only response was her echoes. She ventured deeper into the hall, tracing her fingers across the cracked marble pillars. Who was keeping her here? And why? "Aunt Cass!"
This time she saw something blunt fly at her and stifled a shriek as it knocked into the pillar and collapsed onto the carpet. It had narrowly missed her by the ear. Wrapping her cloak around her body more tightly, she knelt to the floor and tentatively reached for the object. It was a cold stone with a wrinkled paper tied to it. Holding her breath, she scanned the room for anyone else before she pulled out the paper.
To your left. Keep moving. The dungeon will be down below.
Dungeon! She crumpled the paper and felt her face redden with fury. Whoever this was... Whatever this was... They would surely regret their actions once she was through with them.
She followed the instructions and strode to the left, past the thrones and the white busts with missing heads. The moment she stepped further into the darkness, however, it seemed she had triggered something because little flames began lighting up in a ripple, revealing the way. Candles! But no one should be able to light them that fast. She flipped her hood back on, wondering if who was watching.
Towards the end where the candlelight ceased, she found an opening to stairs leading underground. To be certain, she leaned forward.
"A-Aunt Cass?" she called hesitantly.
"GoGo?"
Her hands flew to her mouth and she immediately sprinted down the stairs, finding her aunt crouched on the cold concrete floor clutching bars.
"Aunt Cass!" she gasped with relief, falling to her knees and grabbing her aunt's hands.
"Oh, GoGo, I knew you would come, you stubborn thing."
The girl rummaged through her satchel, at last pulling out a hammer she'd taken from her toolshed. "Hurry, we need to go home - "
"And do you think you will escape with our prisoner so easily?" a voice boomed.
GoGo turned around and held up the hammer defensively, looking for the source. "Who's there?" she called.
"Your aunt is hereby our prisoner for trespassing onto our property!"
"Well, how was she supposed to know anyone was in here? I'm sorry, but your cleaning skills are crap!"
"You see, guys? I told you we should have made Jack - ow! Okay, okay, okay!" The voice cleared its throat and went on, trying to sound more composed. "It matters not! For her insolence, she will stay here forever!"
GoGo heard clanging and gripped the hammer more tightly. Despite her trembling, she glared intensely into the shadows. She would not let them intimidate her. She had not, however, expected what had emerged - knives and swords leaping out on their own and encircling her. She blinked several times to make sure she was seeing correctly.
"Well? What will it be, child? Will you leave with your life, or will you let your aunt meet her demise?"
The weapons repositioned themselves to point directly at her and inched closer. What was this? Illusions? Sorcery? She must be dreaming. GoGo looked back at her aunt, whose jaw dropped in shock, then back at the weapons. They were merely a foot away now.
"Wait," she said, dropping the hammer. "What if... what if I took her place?"
"GoGo!" Aunt Cass gasped.
The voice seemed taken aback as well. "W-wait... You'd do that?"
"Just let my aunt go. Please."
The speaker responded almost suspiciously fast. "Very well. Gina, take her out."
"GoGo, what are you doing?" Aunt Cass cried as one of the knives dug into the keyhole and opened up the bars. Something else emerged out of the shadows - a walking wardrobe. What was this place? The wardrobe flung its doors open and marched over to Aunt Cass, scooping her up and slamming the doors shut.
"No, wait!" GoGo screamed as the wardrobe mercilessly shoved her into the cell and one of the swords swung the bars back into place. Her heart pounded as she heard muffled screams and protests from inside the wardrobe. "Aunt Cass!" She stuck her arm through an opening and fruitlessly made grabbing motions. "Aunt Cass!"
...
Upstairs, in one of the tallest towers of the castle, a tiny cup with a chip on the rim grumbled as it hopped into the room. In front of the fireplace rested a large chair with velvet cushions. The cup cleared its throat before speaking to the figure sitting in it.
"Hey, big brother," the cup said cheerfully. "You'll never guess what's happened today."